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CHICAGO – Jussie Smollett, thwarted by his salary and seeking publicity, has made a fake assault a week after writing a threatening letter, Chicago police announced Thursday after the actor's the "Empire" went under the charge of laying a false police report.
Chicago Police Commissioner Eddie T. Johnson, visibly angry at a morning press conference, said Mr. Smollett had taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism to drain resources that could have been used to investigate other crimes of which people were really victims.
"I only hope that the families who are the victims of gun violence in this city receive as much attention," he said, referring to the media.
Police said the attack was perpetrated by two brothers to whom the actor had paid $ 3,500 and that they had a copy of the check used by Mr. Smollett to pay them. They also recovered, they said, telephone records showing that Mr. Smollett was talking with the brothers an hour before Mr. Smollett stated that the incident had occurred and an hour later.
Superintendent Johnson declined to indicate why investigators now believe that Mr. Smollett also played the lead role in sending a threatening letter that he received. The letter, which arrived a week before the assault reported, contained a harmless white powder and a sketch of what appeared to be a hanged man. According to Mr. Smollett, the return address mentioned "MAGA", referring to a slogan from President Trump's campaign.
Superintendent Johnson has sent other comments about the letter to F.B.I, who is investigating this part of the case. The agency declined to comment.
The Superintendent seemed particularly upset that Mr. Smollett had organized a false assault with a noose around his neck.
"Why would anyone – especially an African American man – use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?" He asked. "How could anyone look at the hate and suffering associated with this symbol and see the opportunity to manipulate this symbol to enhance one's own public profile?"
A Smollett representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. The actor, who went to the authorities on Thursday morning, claimed that the attack had occurred and that he had done nothing wrong. He is scheduled to appear in the afternoon for a bail hearing on the charge of misconduct, punishable by up to three years' imprisonment. .
After his arrest, the reversal of Mr. Smollett's public opinion was swift and damaging. The report of the attack sparked a national boost of support, including from Democratic presidential candidates and President Trump, who described the incident as "horrible."
On Thursday, celebrities including Michael B. Jordan and Tracee Ellis Ross, who initially backed Smollett, began deleting their social media posts after the attack.
Mr. Trump said in a post on Twitter, ".@JussieSmollett – What about MAGA and tens of millions of people that you have insulted with your racist and dangerous comments !? #MAGA. "
Fox, the network broadcast on "Empire," released a statement Thursday in which he said assess the situation and options of the network. "We understand the seriousness of this case and we respect the legal process," the statement said.
Mr. Smollett's salary is not publicly known, but it was not immediately clear that he had clashed with Fox executives, who last Wednesday published a statement very favorable to the actor, which he described as "consummate professional".
At their press conference, police officials unveiled much of what they had discovered about the reported attack. Mr. Smollett, who is black and openly gay, had told the police that at about 2 am on January 29, two masked men had attacked him in the 300 block of East Street. Lower North Water in downtown Chicago. He added that his attackers had addressed him with homophobic and racial slurs, put a rope around his neck and poured him a chemical substance. Mr. Smollett stated that the assault took place after he went to fetch food.
A detective commander, Edward Wodnicki, said at the press conference that investigators had interviewed Mr. Smollett at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and had found that he had a scratch in his face, bruising but no serious injuries.
The investigators considered the case a possible hate crime, but had difficulty finding evidence that was consistent with what Mr. Smollett was saying. The attack was not visible on the surveillance cameras and there were no witnesses.
Days in their investigation, the investigators released a surveillance image of two men suspected of being of interest, two brothers who reported helping to organize a false attack.
Police said that they had found the brothers using surveillance footage showing that they were taking a taxi to get to the place of the assault. The investigators followed the cabin, interrogated the driver and identified the passengers as Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, two brothers and associates of Mr. Smollett.
One of them had worked as "extra" on "Empire" and Mr. Smollett later acknowledged that he had paid money for one of them. Between them form to the realization of a video clip.
The men flew to Nigeria soon after the incident, police said, and talked on the phone with Mr. Smollett during their absence. And they were greeted by the investigators when they returned to Chicago on February 13 and detained for two days.
Commander Wodnicki stated that one of the brothers' lawyers, Gloria Schmidt, spoke to him and said, "You really have to talk to these guys. I will allow them to give you a video interview with our present and we will hear their story. They are not delinquents. They are victims. "
The men admitted to being paid to participate in the reported assault, investigators said. While the brothers appeared to have struck Mr. Smollett, Superintendent Johnson said, "As far as we can tell, the scratches and bruises you saw in the face were most likely self-inflicted."
After the interview with the brothers, the detectives released them without charge, seeking additional evidence to corroborate their claims. When asked about this decision on Thursday, Superintendent Johnson said, "Mr. Smollett is the one who orchestrated this crime. They became cooperating witnesses.
Almost from the beginning, Mr. Smollett's story was a little skeptical. He grew up over time, although the police insisted for weeks that the actor was considered a victim. Mr. Smollett acknowledged the suspicions in his In his first public statement on the incident, on February 1, he said through the intermediary of his reporter: "I work with the authorities, I am 100% factual and consistent at all levels. Despite my frustrations and deep concern about inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been circulated, I continue to believe that justice will be done. "
In an interview with "Good Morning America," aired Feb. 14, Mr. Smollett said, "I have the impression that if I had said that it was a Muslim, a mexican or black, I think the doubters would have supported me. much more."
These calls for public sympathy seemed particularly thwarted by Superintendent Johnson.
"Absolute justice would be an excuse for this city that he has coated," he said at the press conference. "Admit what he's done and then be man enough to offer what he should offer in terms of all the resources that have been devoted to it."
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